Little Issac is definitely an easy blogging target. He's a pretty
funny little boy! Tonight as we were walking out of the grocery
store, he spotted a Transformer balloon. He said, "Mom, mom... it's a
Transformer balloon; 'Transformers, where a kid can be a kid!'" He's
hillarious!
:Kristi:
Issac and I took advantage of the recent snowfall by going up to the
Santa Fe Ski basin on Friday. It snowed the whole entire time we were
there! Last year we bought snowboards for Christmas and other gear so
this year we were prepared. It was pretty cold but we had such a great
time! Our friend Brett went with us and skiied. He was told by the
ski patrol that he "should stick to the beginner slopes" and that he
"was a hazard to other skiiers"!! Hahaha! He ended up doing a good
job and we all enjoyed our snowboarding/skiing adventure!
:Kristi:
This morning was spectacular! Issac and I woke up to the kids singing
happy birthday to Jesus! It was awesome! We opened presents with the
fire going and then I made a big breakfast. Right now we are playing
Bingo and will be getting ready to go to Grammy and Papa Ed's house
soon!
:Kristi:
Tonight was an awesome night! We were invited to Jim & Becky
Mullane's house, owners of the Dixon Apple Farm. They have an amazing
house in an amazing location! We started off our time by playing in
the snow. Caleb & Ikey enjoyed sleigh rides being pulled by an ATV.
Issac enjoyed driving the ATV around and Courtney rode horses. Next,
we had frito pies for dinner. There were so many different toppings, I
felt like a kid in a candy store! Frito pies are definitely my
favorite food! Becky also made some homemade apple cidar that was SO
good! Finally, it was off for a hay ride in the snow. They had a red
tractor topped with a wreath - it was like something out of a movie.
We rode through the apple orchard were we could see a fire in the
distance. As we got closer, the fire became a large bon fire and we
stopped there to roast marshmellows and warm up. All the while, major
snow was coming down on us! I've never had such an experience in my
life! I really felt like we were in a Christmas movie. I'm so
thankful for the Mullane's and their heart to bless us. We will
definitely have these memories forever!
:Kristi:
We celebrated Caleb's birthday at It'z today. If you're unfamiliar
with It'z, it's very similar to Chuck E Cheese but with better food
and cooler games. We had a fun time and were joined by Nana Sue,
Auntie Felicia, and Brett. Brett rode Spinoli (a spinning ride) with
the kids so Issac and I wouldn't get sick! It was definitely a fun
time with the family!
:Kristi:
I can't believe Caleb is 9 years old. I remember when he was a baby
and he was so big that he could only army crawl. I also remember him
being referred to as "Tank" at daycare because he was always
destroying stuff. He's come a long way since then. He is such a cool
kid! He's funny and super smart. I'm so happy that God is shaping him
everyday and I pray that he would grow up to be a godly man. Happy
Birthday, Caleb!
:Kristi:
On Saturday, a few people with the church went out and delivered
Christmas gifts to children who have a parent incarcerated. We took
some of the middle school students and also one high school with us.
It was so awesome! We prayed in the car before we went into each home
and after we gave the gifts, we shared the gospel and prayed for the
families. We had such a great time and God was glorified!
:Kristi:
My office is located at a pretty prime spot in Santa Fe. It has an
awesome view of the Sandia mountains and I get to see some pretty
sweet sunsets. This is what I saw as I was leaving today and I
couldn't help but say out loud, "God is Awesome!"
:Kristi:
On Friday we celebrated Thanksgiving with our families in Albuquerque.
We had awesome food and a fun time just hanging out with our families.
We watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at my parents house and it
was so funny! That movie is awesome! Brought back lots of good
childhood memories. Issac will be blogging about our time at the
Lopez house. It was very fun also!
:Kristi:
Today was a sweet day! We went over to the Burdwell's house and ate
awesome food and had sweet fellowship! The Weatherbys & Brett joined
us too. (check out our slideshow pictures to see more of today).
Preston and Audra did a great job preparing all the food and were so
kind to open up their house to all of us. I'm so thankful to have
friends like them and all our other amazing friends/family in Christ!
I'm also thankful for my salvation and for God choosing to save a
sinner like me. I can't wait to spend eternity in heaven with my Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ! God has blessed Issac and I so abundantly.
We are so thankful for all He has given us and all He has done for us,
especially sending His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
Our prayer is that all our friends and family would have a personal
relationship with God! Love you guys and hope you had a great
Thanksgiving day!
:Kristi:
This year for Thanksgiving we're doing something different. We're
going to our very good friends, the Burdwells, house for dinner! They
have 7 kids and they are soldiers! In the above picture, Gabby,
Courtney, Arissa, and Alfred are peeling potatoes for an army of
people. I'm looking forward to tomorrow - it's going to be awesome!
:Kristi:
When you live in Santa Fe, fireplaces are a huge plus! Issac has been
faithful to light fires for us everynight since Saturday. It's so
freezing here that we've been sleeping on the couch while the awesome
warmth flows from our glowing fireplace. It's only the beginning of
many more fires to come!
:Kristi:
Ok, I will admit it, I think I'm pretty much a coffee drinker now. All my life I've thought coffee tasted disgusting. I make the coffee at my work and everyone is like "you make such great coffee!" I just smile and say "I'm glad you like it. I don't drink it, but I'm glad it tastes good!" But, as of today, I realized I am a coffee drinker. Issac and I go to Starbucks almost every morning for our yummy morning treat. I started out getting non-coffee drinks like caramel apple cidar or hot chocolate or chai, but I gradually got into the coffee drinks - frappaccinos, white chocolate mochas, etc. Today, this is what I ordered: a tall pike's place coffee with sugar free hazelnut syrup, non-fat milk, and two Splenda. What the?!?! Not only did I order that, but I actually enjoyed it! I don't think I'm brave enough to drink the coffee at work - because I make it really strong for all the hardcore coffee drinkers - but, maybe with some flavored cream, I'll be able to take it down!
You may be wondering what is in this picture. It represents much of my
weekend this past weekend. Friday was awesome with an amazing Ding
Dong Ditch experience. We took some students with Regenerate &
Crossroads, did some grocery shopping, and took those groceries to two
needy families in Santa Fe. Normally we would leave the groceries on
the porch, ring the doorbell, and run, but this year we went into the
family's home and gave them the Gospel! It was so awesome! God was
totally glorified and people heard of His love and how to be saved
from the penalty of sin!
So you still might be thinking "what does that have to do with the
picture?". Nothing. I just thought you would want to know how Ding
Dong Ditch went. Now - most of my weekend was spent cleaning the boys
room and doing laundry. Pictured above is a pile of pockets. Caleb's
pockets to be exact. Unfortunately, after MANY warnings about not
leaving stuff - candy, gum, chocolate, toys, trash, etc - in his
pockets, he had to learn the hard way. Hopefully, loads of laundry
will not be ruined due to this new change!
:Kristi:
This morning Issac and I woke up a little earlier than normal. We
spent our extra time enjoying coffee & oatmeal at Starbucks. My
favorite part was hanging out with my best friend!
:Kristi:
We've been trying to make it a nightly thing to do memory verses with
the kids. They are in AWANA on Wednesday nights at church so they each
have books with memory verses in them. They are so good at remembering
verses! Issac is currently memorizing John 14:6 - Jesus said to him,
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me." Pretty long but he just nailed it!
:Kristi:
Saturday night was a fun filled night! We went to a surprise birthday
party for John Weathersby. He's 30 now!! Yikes!! Just kidding! We
hung out over there for a little while and then went to celebrate
Preston's birthday! We went to the Steaksmith and enjoyed some yummy
steaks! After the steaks we went to Whole Foods and the best desserts
I ever had! Who knew that a health food place would have such great
desserts! Go figure.
:Kristi:
Yesterday was a great day! It started off with parent-teacher
conferences. They went great! The kids are doing great academically!
The boys have minor bevahior issues, but their teachers say they are
improving in that area a lot! Issac and I are so proud of them!
After work, Issac took some of the students with the youth group to
Creation Fest - a concert with a lot of Christian bands. I stayed with
the boys and as went to Taco Bell for dinner (pictured above). We
came home and watched Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D.
Overall, we had a great day!
:Kristi:
Issac taught tonight in 1 John 2:7-11 and it was awesome! It's
challenging to love like Jesus did. I know I blow it in that area very
often. I think driving is my biggest stumbling area when it comes to
loving people. I'm glad God used Issac to teach this message and
convict my heart in loving others. I'm not to love others as myself,
but love them as Christ loves them, which is far greater. I love that
God sanctifies me and grows me in areas where I need it. I look
forward to passing tests in loving others!
:Kristi:
I promised everyone I would update you on our Disneyland trip and I failed. I'm very sorry. We had a great time and loved every minute of it! This trip was very different for us because it was the first time we went on a trip by ourselves - no kids, no friends, just us! We experienced Disneyland in a very different way. We walked a lot slower, sat on more benches, and just did whatever we wanted. Usually, we have a tighter schedule in order to fit all the rides in but, at the same time, not running the kids around until they're exhausted. This time was so cool. We leisurely walked around, rode a ride whenever we wanted, and enjoyed some relaxing dining experiences. We ate at Blue Bayou - the resturant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride - Carnation Cafe, Steakhouse 55, Cafe Orleans, and many other Disneyland favorites. We had a lot of "firsts" on this trip. We rode the canoes, sailed on the Columbia, shot guns at Frontierland, and I rode Toy Story Mania for the first time. Good times!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we're in Disneyland again! Issac and I are
hanging out this week in our favorite place just the two of us! We
hardly ever get a chance to go anywhere by ourselves but here we are!
I will try to keep everyone updated on our trip. Stay tuned for more!
:Kristi:
I know I have been neglecting our blog and I am sorry. As you can
imagine, a lot has happened in the last week and a half. Currently, we
are sitting in a doctor's office waiting room so they can have a look
at Courtney's eye. It's been red on the outside for a couple days.
Issac is keeping himself busy by making ghost masks out of tissue. He
has a runny nose and cough. Keep our family in prayer - as you can
see, we're a little sick.
:Kristi:
In case you didn't know, I was in Chicago from Thursday to Saturday
for the True Women '08 conference. I learned so much from the
teachings and breakout sessions about mothering and my relationship
with God! It was a great time but I missed my family very much. They
drove to the airport to pick me up and we enjoyed dinner at Ghengis
Grill, where I had a non-puny bowl (see a few blogs down). I was so
happy to come home and see all of their cute little faces! They make
me so happy! God has really blessed me with an awesome family and I
look forward to caring for them to glorify Him!
:Kristi:
I'm not 100% sure, but I think this area is from Home Alone. I
remember when the song "Run Run Rudolph" is playing and the McCalister
family is running through the airport to catch their flight and I
think this was the hallway. Any thoughts??
:Kristi:
If you've heard the hype about Chicago deep dish pizza being amazing,
you've heard correctly! I would have to say this was some of THE BEST
pizza I've had! Luckily, I have some extra for a snack after the
sessions tonight. I wonder if they'll let me take some home on the
plane? Maybe if I want to be pulled aside and go to the security side
table (see blog below).
:Kristi:
While going through airport security this morning, my friend Audra was
pulled aside. They had to go through her bag at a side table. She
was concealing a Swiss army pocket knife (unintentionally).
:Kristi:
Who doesn't? There's something very satisfying about walking into a
room with a made bed. If I don't make my bed, I feel very sluggish
and unmotivated. A made bed makes me happy and motivated to do other
little chores around the house. I recommend, if you don't already, to
make your bed everyday. You will enjoy it!
:Kristi:
Last night we went to Ghengis Grill in Albuquerque with The Millers. That resturant is amazing!! They give you a little metal bowl and you get to fill it with whatever meat, spice, veggies, and sause that you want, PLUS you get your choice of starch (rice, noodles, tortilla, etc.). You can pile as much as you want as long as it stays in the bowl! You give your little creation to the magic people in the back to be cooked and then it arrives on your table in a beautiful arrangement of delicious amazingness. In the picture, my bowl is on the right, while Jenn's is on the left. In her words, my bowl was "puny." Oh well, I enjoyed my bowl of yummy goodness.
Today was an early morning. We woke up at 3:45 a.m. to go to the
Balloon Fiesta with the Bransford family! We don't normally go but it
was awesome! The kids loved watching the balloons fly right over
their heads. The highlight of the morning was walking over to the
Nemo balloon and realizing the Darth Vader balloon was right behind
us! There was a circle of Storm Troppers surrounding the balloon for
crowd control. Just before the balloon launched, Darth Vader himself
came out! It was so cool! We had such a fun time! I look forward to
doing this in the future!
:Kristi:
On Monday I purchased an iPhone. Since then I've become a member of
Facebook. I have so much technology at my fingertips, it's crazy.
The good news is that the readers of this blog will no longer have to
suffer the site of terrible cell phone pictures anymore. The iPhone
takes great pictures and it is very easy to blog them. So, if this
blog isn't enough for you, become my friend on Facebook and you can
get even more!
:Kristi:
This is how Issac rocks the Wii - in his underwear and socks. What a funny little boy!
Last night we hung out with the Burdwells. We ate frito pies & saw the new movie Eagle Eye. It was so much fun! Ken & Krystal & Brett joined us too. Good times!
I decided to start my day off with a nice healthy breakfast - a cinnamon raisin bagel. Someone in my office just asked if I wanted McDonalds... I think I'll pass. I don't feel like having a heart attack this morning!
~Kristi
My baby boy came home from school tired today. He basically walked in
the door and laid down on the couch with me for not much longer than 5
minutes before he crashed out. He is still my baby. How sweet!
I have Disneyland fever so bad right now it's not even funny. All I can think about is how to get to Disenyland again in the shortest amount of time possible. I also think about how much I want a Dole Whip or an Apple Pie Carmel Apple from Pooh's Corner. Riding Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and seeing the amazing fireworks show also flood my thoughts. I'm not sure how healthy it is to have all these desires in one day, but I REALLY WANT TO GO TO DISNEYLAND!!! This picture was taken on our November trip last year with the Bransfords. The castle has snow on it for the holiday season. I love Disneyland so much. It truly is the Happiest Place on Earth and also Where Dreams Come True!
Over the weekend Calvary Santa Fe hosted the Discern Conference 2008. There were 7 apologists teaching at the conference and they were amazing! I learned so much about how to defend my faith! The whole weekend was awesome. Issac hosted the conference since Paul was not feeling well and he did a great job! Pictured is the Q&A session where people asked questions for the teachers. My cell phone camera is lame, but from left to right: Issac, Steve Collins, Mike Gendron, Rob Bowman, James White, Bill McKeever, Bill Honsberger, and Ron Rhodes. These guys are great men of God and I thank God for gifting them.
~Kristi
I just found out about this sweet conference. It looks so awesome. Now
I'm not normally a big Chuck Smith and Greg Laury fan, but I do
respect them as godly men whom God has used in big ways. I just think
the combination of all of these speakers will be SO valuable. I
probably can't go due to the cost, but a man can dream.
Today is Issac's 6th birthday and also his first day of Kindergarten. We had a party for him yesterday at my parents house (pics to come soon) and had a great time. Thank you to everyone who came and for the awesome gifts! He got lots of new clothes and some really cool toys including a Batman gun, Hulk fists, an Indiana Jones toy, some little dalmation toys, and for the finale.... a Spiderman bike and matching helmet & pads! He also got some money!!
I can't believe that he is in Kindergarten. It doesn't seem that long ago when he was a little baby scooting around on his butt because he couldn't crawl. He was very independent in his class, telling me bye right away - he didn't really care if I stuck around or not. Some other kids were crying while he started playing with toys and other kids. We brought some cupcakes for the class to celebrate his birthday, so hopefully that will make him some more friends... haha, just kidding. I know he will do well and that God will protect him while he's in school. Please continue to keep all of the kids in prayer during this school year. Thanks!
~Kristi
I just beat Lego Indiana Jones! Now what am I going to do? Any suggestions?
I took this picture on our way home. The lightning is going crazy right now and it's so close to our house. God's power is awesome!
We're having dinner with Ken and Krystal at Dion's. Good times.
Last night we went to the Scozzafava's house for Woody's birthday. We had frito pies and I ate so much that I felt sick. Bummer. Oh well, it was still fun times
Courtney and Caleb had a great first day of school! It started off a little rocky - the bus driver drove right past their bus stop from last year and didn't pick them up. Apparently, that stop isn't a stop anymore even though it's listed as one at their school. I called and complained. Anyway, Issac drove them to school a little late, but they found their classes and met their new teachers. They are happy with their teachers and like them so far. Courtney has a male teacher again and Caleb has a female again. 